Iain Dale: Were it not for Churchill, McDonnell might be speaking German. And so could the rest of us.

Plus: Up, up and away – HS2’s costs. Staying down – LibDem poll ratings. Stuck where they are – Labour’s.

Henry Hill: SDLP link-up with Fianna Fail has a rocky start as senior MLA quits

Also: Backlash grows against SNP’s new tax; Labour AM apologises for antisemitic comment; and Scottish Tories say they’ve stopped Johnson.

Garvan Walshe: Orban’s fertility drive is an attack on Hungarian women

The man his critics call the ‘Viktator’ has two new policies – one a gimmick, one deeply sinister.

Robert Halfon: Thatcherism was wrong. We need to build social as well as economic capital. Including in our schools.

Educational traditionalists are wrong to believe that if we focus on academic rigour and high standards alone, everything else will fall into place.

Andy Street: The West Midlands Local Industrial Strategy ensures we are the workshop of the modern world

From transport tech and data-driven healthcare, to creative enterprises and the services sector, we are forging ahead.

Nicky Morgan: Country before Party? It’s a false choice. The country needs the governing party to deliver on Brexit.

The best outcome is for the Government and its partners to deliver the majority verdict of the referendum and of the last election.

Ashley Fox: MPs must not bind May’s hands on Brexit next week

There are clear signs that Brussels is laying the ground for a compromise – we must not remove their incentive to produce one.

Iain Dale: Replace Hammond with Gove, promote Mordaunt, bring back Raab

Plus: Snubbed by a Remainer. Delighted for Beth Rigby. Tusk japes, May spooks, Francois almost self-combusts. And: is Brexit Brecksit or Breggsit?

Henry Hill: Trimble raises over £10,000 for legal challenge to the backstop

Also: SNP insist on leading Holyrood inquiry into Sturgeon’s handling of Salmond allegations; and Ulster Unionists call for Direct Rule in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Alex Morton: If Brexit is impossible, what is the point of politics?

The idea that leaving the EU simply cannot be done has emerged since the referendum – if true, it would shatter our political system.

Daniel Hannan: Venezuela. Be warned. This is the regime that Corbyn still sees, even now, as his model.

The only US sanctions in place before August 2017 were asset freezes and travel bans aimed at a handful of Chavista politicians and their cronies.

James Frayne: Amid all the turbulence, one politician is surging among UK voters – Donald Trump

Few actually agree with him, but a surprising number say they admire his decisiveness and strength.

Henry Newman: Beyond Malthouse. Which compromises would be feasible and acceptable to secure a deal?

It is still possible to find a landing zone that would be acceptable for the EU and to Eurosceptics.

Howard Flight: I believe the Conservative Party will hold together after Brexit

Fear of both a Corbyn government and an enraged grassroots seems to be keeping Tory MPs together in the crucial votes.

Chloe Westley: A brilliant head teacher, a transformational city school – and the need for mavericks

Last week, I met with one such person. Her name is Katharine Birbalsingh – founder and headmistress of the Michaela Community School.